The Michigan Public Policy Survey

Summary

The Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) is a program of state-wide surveys of local government leaders in Michigan. The MPPS is designed to fill an important information gap in the policymaking process. While there are ongoing surveys of the business community and of the citizens of Michigan, before the MPPS there were no ongoing surveys of local government officials that were representative of all general purpose local governments in the state. Therefore, while we knew the policy priorities and views of the state's businesses and citizens, we knew very little about the views of the local officials who are so important to the economies and community life throughout Michigan.

The MPPS was launched in 2009 by the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) at the University of Michigan and is conducted in partnership with the Michigan Association of Counties, Michigan Municipal League, and Michigan Townships Association. The associations provide CLOSUP with contact information for the survey's respondents, and consult on survey topics. CLOSUP makes all decisions on survey design, data analysis, and reporting, and receives no funding support from the associations.

The surveys investigate local officials' opinions and perspectives on a variety of important public policy issues and solicit factual information about their localities relevant to policymaking. Over time, the program has covered issues such as fiscal, budgetary and operational policy, fiscal health, public sector compensation, workforce development, local-state governmental relations, intergovernmental collaboration, economic development strategies and initiatives such as placemaking and economic gardening, the role of local government in environmental sustainability, energy topics such as hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") and wind power, trust in government, views on state policymaker performance, opinions on the impacts of the Federal Stimulus Program (ARRA), and more. The program will investigate many other issues relevant to local and state policy in the future.

More info

How often does the MPPS take place?
The MPPS is conducted twice per year, once in spring and once in fall. Spring surveys contain several batteries of "core" fiscal, budgetary, and operational policy questions that get asked each year, thereby building up a time-series of data on fundamental issues and allowing tracking of change and continuity over time. Fall surveys target specific unique topics such as workforce development, intergovernmental collaboration, performance measurement and management, etc.

When was the MPPS launched?
The first MPPS survey, which focused on fiscal and economic development issues, was in the field from late April through mid-June, 2009.

How is the MPPS funded?
The first two waves (and the overall startup) of the MPPS were funded by internal CLOSUP funds and a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Since then, MPPS activities have been funded solely by internal funds at CLOSUP.

Who will use the MPPS?
The MPPS serves a wide-range of stakeholders in Michigan and elsewhere, including local and state policymakers, nonprofit organizations, foundations, citizen groups, the media and the academic research and teaching community.

"I appreciate the professional work of the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) and the information included in their public policy survey reports. The survey data is gathered, assembled, and shared logically in a manner that allows for practical application. I focus on the summary and then follow on to the detailed supporting data and illustrative charts. The survey findings and work of CLOSUP are critical tools in our policy development toolbox. We use it in our local municipality to inform, discuss, guide, and develop appropriate polices."-Bud Norman (Administrator/Controller, Branch County, March 2015)

Access to MPPS datasets
CLOSUP is very interested in sharing the MPPS datasets with other researchers in order to improve the understanding of state and local government issues. See more information about shareable datasets.

What does the MPPS do?
The surveys:

provide local public officials with a better understanding of the decision-making environment in which they operate, including the views, values, priorities and experiences of their peers across the state;

enhance opportunities for regional cooperation and coordination with resulting cost savings and/or public service improvements;

give state-level policymakers a better understanding of the policy priorities in different kinds of communities as well as the likely resistance or support they will find for various state policy options;

increase government transparency and accountability and therefore result in better opportunities for high quality civic engagement by community activists, nonprofits, foundations and the public;

provide unique and powerful data for academic researchers and students to better understand local government operations.

How can you get involved?
We are eager to hear your ideas about the surveys: the key issues or questions that should be included, the general topics that should be covered, the types of analysis and reports that would be most useful. If you would like to share your input, please contact Tom Ivacko at 734-647-4091 or by email to closup-mpps@umich.edu.